Anyone in their 40s/50s plus had a health wake up call?

@AutumnLeaves23 I'll have a look, thanks. I'm pretty good with fibre - eat loads of chickpeas, beans & pulses etc... but I undoubtedly do need to lose weight!

I take statins and also stopped most sugar, fats, dairy, red meat and run every day on top of my three fast dog walks. I eat mainly fruit, veg, nuts and whole grain foods and try to make sure I have porridge oats every day as I read they help to lower it. To start with I found it hard but it gets easier as you develop better habits.

I had my wake up call in my mid-50s! I was pretty overweight , and already had high blood pressure, had some tests and was told that my blood sugars were so high that I was at risk of type 2 diabetes. It shocked me enough to start dieting, and I lost over 3 stone, and my blood sugars went down significantly, and have never gone back up. My bp has never come down - but there is also hereditary high blood pressure in the family, so I suspect it never will. But, overall things are much better. I'm early 60s now, still overweight but much less so. I walk a lot around my very hilly town, recently bought an e-bike which I love, and do pilates once a week.

Thanks. I should be doing all of that! But I guess it’s also hard to know how much statins are bringing it down, they are supposed to be pretty effective. I’m trying to lower it without statins.

This is a great thread though. It’s the ‘keeping on track’ bit that I fail at. I’m very impressed by all of you sticking to healthier diets and exercise.

I am going to promise all your MN on this thread that for at least a month I will:

• have porridge most days
• restart strength training 3x a week. (Fast) Walk and yoga once a day.
• cut down tea with sugar. Eat less carbs. Eat more vegetables.
• try and eat only Jarlsberg cheese

I didn’t get that option, but I’m so scared of having another heart attack I’m prepared to try anything to get it down enough so that another drug isn’t added to the cocktail I already have to take 😀

It does feel so good to be out doesn't it? I couldn't walk my usual distance today because of my back but did just under 2 miles. Anything is better than nothing. Well done xxxxx

To those posters who have already had serious illnesses and heart attacks I hope you are all on the mend and we can all encourage each other to live a more healthy lifestyle xxx

@WoofWoofBeachLife banana and cinnamon porridge is lovely as is grated apple. @TubbsTattysyrup I love frozen cherries! Only used them in smoothies before but definitely going to try with porridge 😋

My breakfast at the moment is fruit, yogurt and a no added sugar granola topping.

Need some lunch ideas now! (No meat)

Baked sweet potatoes make a great lunch! 5 minutes in the microwave and ten in the oven - they are great and very filling!

My favourite non-sugary porridge recipe is my grandfather's, only I do it in the microwave so there's no pot to clean: 1/3 cup oats, half a cup of water, a tiny sprinkle of salt, milk added every three or so minutes of cooking time and once cooked, after about 8 or 9 minutes, and a tiny 'speck' of butter. Oddly flavourful.

I think so long as the bulk of the time you are following your new plan, an occasional salty night doesn't destroy your progress.

I've just bought some sweet potatoes actually! I had read that sweet potatoes and bananas are high in potassium. Potassium helps the body get rid of sodium (salt)

So @CuriousMama forget last night and get a banana! 🍌😂

@CuriousMama what potassium tablets do you take pls?

That’s so true in my case. While I have very high BP my cholesterol is only on a 3.2.

I have a mostly vegetarian Diet, but I do eat meat now and again Without embarrassment. So its not the meat that’s unhealthy it’s the fact I eat more vegetables and fibre than I ever used to.

Good thread - thanks OP.

I'm late 50s and recently been feeling quite 'out of sorts'. BP quite high and feeling breathless when out walking . Have been to GP a couple of times, the one I saw this week seemed dismissive but I'm quite worried. I have an ECG booked in in a couple of weeks. Very fit when I was younger but this has dropped off enormously as I've got older. I felt that Covid had a big effect on me last year and although my energy stabilised after a while I think the last few months have been difficult for me stress wise .

My BMI around 28-29 but it's all around my middle and I have no muscle tone at all.

Have been googling how to reduce BP - starting off with oats and increased veg and trying to reduce salt.

Since WFH I lead a very sedentary life - although oddly during the first lockdown when walking was all we were allowed to do, I was actually quite fit! That's gone downhill now and my exercise is confined to short, slow dog walks - and even then not every day. I am a bit worried now even about walking given how out of breath I felt the other day - but I guess the only way to improve is persevere so I'm thinking maybe increase the number of short walks to start with ? And force myself to do some toning/resistance work .

@ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea I get you, also did loads of walking early in lockdown. I found that wearing a Fitbit or Apple Watch and walking a bit faster made a huge difference. Even for 20 mins a day, just pushing the heart up a bit and including a hill in that also.

Been listening to this podcast while out walking the dog earlier. Did 2.5 miles, felt like more but all uphill on way home. Anyway hope this podcast is helpful to anyone. It's mainly about plant based diets but does have good advice about grains, berries and spices to benefit us.

@perfectlypickledpixie sorry to answer so late. Just seen your question.
I haven't been diagnosed tbh. My echo was fine and CT coronary angio showed squeaky clean arteries. Consultant was extremely sceptical anything was wrong and fobbed me off for at least a year. What complicated things was the subsequent long covid as I ended up with POTs and on beta blockers because of it.
I think she's diagnosed it purely via elimination so has put me on an appropriate med as a 'test'. So far it's kind of working but I still have odd twinges. I've never been breathless though which is odd. Like you I've always been fit, normal weight and reasonable diet but quite a stressful job with lots of nights. I don't know what else I can do now tbh as I thought I was doing the right preventative measures.
I'm going to ask her if I can have a cardiac PET scan but MVA seems to be difficult to diagnose (and treat for that matter). I go on the Health Unlocked website (BHF bit) and there are lots of people with 'presumed' MVA.

@CuriousMama chia seeds are brilliant for lowering blood pressure. So much so that if you are on blood pressure tablets you have to be careful how much you eat as it can make it too low.

That's a useful one @CheeseDreamsTonight - can pop them in porridge too.